Lincoln City 2 Liverpool 7
MINAMINO SHOWS THE QUALITY OF MERSEY
TAKUMI MINAMINO sent out a ‘don’t forget me’ message to Jurgen Klopp last night as Liverpool cuffed Lincoln.
The Japanese international made little impact last season after signing for the Reds in January. But a goal in the Community Shield against Arsenal suggested there was more to come and last night he delivered - albeit against a Lincoln side that looked cowed to be on the same pitch as the champions.
Minamino seemed to have been forgotten amid all the ballyhoo of Liverpool’s signing of Thiago Alcantara and Diogo Jota. But he fizzed all night at Sincil Bank, along with Scouse team-mate Curtis Jones.
Even Xherdan Shaqiri, supposedly on his way out of Anfield, showed what he’s capable of with a wonderful free-kick that opened the floodgates.
The easy victory means Liverpool will meet Arsenal twice next week - in the Premier League at Anfield on Monday and again on Merseyside later that week in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.
In the same competition last season the two teams shared 10 goals in an incredible tie.
After Shaqiri had given Liverpool a ninth-minute lead with a left-foot curler, Minamino capitalised on a Lewis Montsma error and his right-footed curler was a thing of beauty.
Kop kid Jones seized on a Divock Origi knock-back to curl a shot into the far corner to make it 3-0. This really was an exhibition in finishing from the champions.
Then Jones grabbed his second with a shot which took a wicked deflection on its way into the net to give the Mersey men a fourgoal half-time advantage.
A minute into the second half Minamino added a fifth with a close-range shot to pile on the agony for Michael Appleton’s men.
Lincoln refused to throw in the towel and were rewarded on the hour when Tayo Edun slid a low shot into the far corner.
Another forgotten man of Anfield, Marko Grujic, added a sixth for r Liverpool with a low shot in the 65th minute but Lincoln were determined to go down fighting.
Just a minute later the plucky home side clawed another one back when Montsma headed home off the underside of the bar. Origi somehow hadn’t got on the scoresheet but he changed all that late on with a low shot from a Minamino pass.
Jones, voted man of the match, said:
“There were seven good goals tonight, individual and team-play goals. I’m not sure how highly my first one rated – I’ll leave that to the fans.”
Asked about his chances of breaking into a star-studded first-choice midfield, he said: “Whenever I’m called upon I give 100 per cent and I just have to wait for my chance.”
LINCOLN CITY (4-3-3): Palmer 6, Bradley 6, Melbourne 7, Eyoma 6, Montsma 6, Bridcutt 6 (Hopper 59, 6), Edun 7, Jones 6 (McGrandles 59, 6), Scully 7, Anderson 6, Grant 6.
LIVERPOOL: (4-3-3) Adrian 7, N Williams 7, R Williams 7, Van Dijk 8 (Fabinho 46, 6), Tsimikas 7, Grujic 7, Shaqiri 8 (Keita 75), Elliott 8 (Jota 56, 6), Jones 7, Origi 7, MOM Minamino 8.
REFEREE: Tony Harrington